Emmy Award-nominated actor Michael K. Williams, best known for his roles in HBO shows The Wire and Lovecraft Country, died Monday afternoon. He was 54 years old.
The actor, who received a 2021 Emmy nomination for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series for his appearance in HBO’s Lovecraft Country, was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment by family members, according to The New York Times. The cause of death was not revealed but the death was being investigated as a possible drug overdose, the Times reported.
Williams is arguably best known for his role as Omar Little in HBO’s drama series The Wire. Williams also appeared in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.
HBO in a tweet said it was “devastated" to learn of Williams’ passing, adding that Williams has been an HBO family member for more than 20 years.
We are devastated to learn of the passing of Michael Kenneth Williams, an HBO family member for more than 20 years. While the world knew of his immense talents, we knew Michael as a dear friend. We send our deepest condolences to his family for this immeasurable loss. pic.twitter.com/CaBM3N1Uc1September 6, 2021
Williams also starred in SundanceTV's dark comedy series Hap and Leonard in the late 2010's. In a 2018 interview with Multichannel News, Williams talked about the burgeoning opportunities actors and producers of color are finding on television.
Williams also garnered other Emmy nods in past years for acting performances in such shows as Netflix's When They See Us, and HBO's The Night Of and Bessie. When They See Us executive producer Ava DuVernay Monday posted on social media that Williams was a "flash of love -- now gone. But never forgotten."
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